In the romantic atmosphere of France, the wisdom and passion of soccer gave birth to Ligue 1. Through nearly nine decades, Ligue 1 has produced countless soccer stars and presented exciting matches one after another. As modern soccer continues to evolve, the influence of Ligue 1 in Europe has waned, but the involvement of the Qatari consortium has given Paris Saint-Germain the wings of a tiger, demonstrating strong dominance in Ligue 1. Monaco has taken Ligue 1 by storm with its excellent youth training system, while Lille has left a legacy of come-from-behind title victories. What will be the highlights of the new season in Ligue 1? Will the dominance of Paris Saint-Germain be broken? How will the relegated teams fare? After reading this article, I believe you have your own answer.
On August 2, 2021 in Tel Aviv, Israel, a brilliant long range shot from outside the box by Hika helped Lille beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the French Super Cup for the first time in the team's history. Captain Fonte lifted the trophy belonging to Lille amidst enthusiastic flames and red streamers. For Lille, the 20/21 season was fantastic and surprising. The team without any famous stars played steadily with solid defense and smooth transition between offense and defense, and finally beat Angers in the last round of the league, holding a one-point advantage over Grand Paris to win the league title again after 10 years. Paris, on the other hand, had a slightly bitter season last season, with their Ligue 1 title streak coming to an end and their Champions League campaign ending in the semifinals against Manchester City.
Founded in 1970, Paris Saint-Germain is not as old as the other European giants, but after a Qatari consortium acquired a 70% stake in the club in 2011, the team began a rapid rise. The big investment in the transfer market has brought Paris Saint-Germain 7 league titles, 6 French Cup titles and 8 French Super Cup titles in 10 years, and world-class stars such as Ronaldinho, Beckham, Ibe, Rahimovic, Cavani, Neymar, Mbappe and many others have all donned the uniforms of Paris. However, this kind of luxury is often regarded as the embodiment of "no insight", in the past few years, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City as the representative of the "gold dollar soccer" has been a lot of questions and blows.
In the nine years of Paris Saint-Germain's strong rise, Monaco and Lille became the only spoilers. 16/17 season Monaco set off a youthful storm, simple but very impactful fast attack, constantly changing positions to ensure that the formation is solid and not deformation of the defense ultimately created that season's biggest dark horse. However, Monaco's competitiveness declined with the return of their main players in the 16/17 season. Last season, Monaco's form rose, and despite finishing in third place, the team was only five points away from first place, ahead of Marseille and Lyon.
The new season is both a challenge and an opportunity. Let's wait and see how the ambitious Paris Saint-Germain will perform in Ligue 1.
